Botswana is undertaking a huge development called the <a href="http://www.bih.co.bw/news.php" target="_blank">Botswana Innovation Hub</a> in hopes of luring investors and businesses to their country. They've contracted New York-based <a href="http://inhabitat.com/barclays-center-plaza-to-feature-green-roof-subway-entrance/" target="_blank">SHoP Architects</a> to design a sexy green innovation hub in their capital city, and when the proposal breaks ground it could help launch the African nation into a higher class of business, technology and innovation. The high-tech campus will be completely covered with a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/green-roof" target="_blank">green roof</a> and will feature photovoltaics, rainwater collection and much more -- all in hopes of becoming the first LEED certified project in the country.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

The Botswana Innovation Hub is set to be located on a 57 hectare veldt (wide open space in Africa) outside of Gaborone.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

270,000 square feet of office and laboratory space will be provided for technology and knowledge-intensive foreign and local businesses, as well as research and advanced training institutes.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

An AIDs research center has already expressed interest in having space inside the campus, which is being designed less as a business park and more as a community with interconnecting bridges, communal parks and meeting areas.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

SHoP Architects won an international competition to design the campus and is including a slew of green strategies in hopes of achieving LEED certification.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

Botswana, to date, has no green buildings, so this center would be an innovation for the country in itself and help show what is possible.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

The hub is composed of a series of long slender buildings that reach out into the open land and are covered with a concept SHoP calls the “Energy Blanket” roofscape, which combines passive and active sustainable energy techniques.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

Large overhangs will passively shade the building's interior volumes and photovoltaics collect the sun's energy.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

The building will be covered by a large xeriscaped roof garden planted with indigenous species that collects rainwater for reuse.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

Overall the green strategies will realize a 50% energy savings over US ASHRAE building standards.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

This project for the Botswana Development Corporation is expected to cost $50 million. Botswana hopes that this new center will help them move beyond its diamond and beef industry into a league with other developed countries.

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Botswana Innovation Hub

Botswana is undertaking a huge development called the Botswana Innovation Hub in hopes of luring investors and businesses to their country. They've contracted New York-based SHoP Architects to design a sexy green innovation hub in their capital city, and when the proposal breaks ground it could help launch the African nation into a higher class of business, technology and innovation. The high-tech campus will be completely covered with a green roof and will feature photovoltaics, rainwater collection and much more -- all in hopes of becoming the first LEED certified project in the country.